Olympics: Datsyuk says this medal means more than the Stanley Cup

[Frank the Tank]

How does it smack of desperation? He literally said water is wet. You won't find a single Russian NHL player who would value winning the NHL championship trophy playing for some club owned by a pizza guy or some other random millionaire tool in need of a tax break over winning an Olympic Gold Medal. Do you think Ryan Stoa would value winning a Gagarin cup more than the Olympic Gold Medal? See how stupid that sounds?

The degree to which self righteous Canadians are trying to nitpick every little thing about Russia winning just to soothe their asspain makes it all the sweeter.

Like I said earlier, this is like 2008 and 2009 all over again.

 

[Firsov99]

Between saying winning against a bunch of jobbers is the best thing ever and saying it doesn't mean much, I think there are a lot of things he could have said that wouldn't have been as stupid.

Playing for your country means something, no matter what the opposition is. Most of the casual Russian fans (not on these boards of course) don’t care whether it was the best on best format. They just want to enjoy victory. Datsyuk comments would have been stupid had he tried to “poop on this parade”.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

LoL, grats on barely beating a team most Canadian junior teams could put up a fight against. Glad it means so much.

 

[Firsov99]

Like I said earlier, this is like 2008 and 2009 all over again.

Let people enjoy their victory. No point to act like a dog in the manger.

 

[Revelation]

Like I said earlier, this is like 2008 and 2009 all over again.

Yeah, Canadians getting worked up over Russians having their own priorities and not tone policing themselves in regards to what Canadians value when talking to each other.

It's not like the Russians secretly tried to get the NHL to go full Pejorative Slur and ban their players. That was all NHL while Russia wanted best on best. They probably got hit the hardest talent wise with the best NHLers this year all being Russian. Top point scorer, top goal scorer, 2nd best goal and point scorer, 2 best goalies, 3 OTHER top 20 players in Kuznetsov, Radulov and Tarasenko. Plus 5 of their top 6 on D playing in the NHL and unable to participate. Still winning without all those players is something to be proud of.

 

[Frank the Tank]

Let people enjoy their victory. No point to act like a dog in the manger.

The first thing I mentioned in my previous post is that the Russians should enjoy their victory.

At the same time I think Datsyuk is acting a little drunk in victory.

 

[0494]

Well, that's his opinion but a Calder Cup would be more valuable than this years gold.

 

[Jets]

This is like the “smartest idiot” hyperbole.

Being the best crippled team amongst other crippled teams still makes you a crippled team and isn’t much of an accomplishment.

 

[albator71]

LoL, grats on barely beating a team most Canadian junior teams could put up a fight against. Glad it means so much.

Why do you feel so insecure about Russia winning gold?
If it means nothing to you why are you here?
Why do you have to denigrate their gold medal victory?
What are you afraid of?

 

[Hanji]

Ha! We've some serious insecure posters here.

Russia wins gold and Datsyuk has an opinion, and some people feel the need to consistently point out how meaningless and insignificant their achievement was.

If it was as meaningless and insignificant as you say, you chumps shouldn't even be bothered to post about it.

 

[albator71]

The degree to which self righteous Canadians are trying to nitpick every little thing about Russia winning just to soothe their asspain makes it all the sweeter.

You absolutely right. I am Canadian and i agree with you. As soon as another nation wins the World Championship or the Olympic. you can bet that you will have many Canadians come on here and belittle the other team victory its a Canadian tradition. I dont understand why Canadians feel so threaten by "OAR" winning gold.

 

[Nervousbreakdown]

Yeah, Canadians getting worked up over Russians having their own priorities and not tone policing themselves in regards to what Canadians value when talking to each other.

It's not like the Russians secretly tried to get the NHL to go full ****** and ban their players. That was all NHL while Russia wanted best on best. They probably got hit the hardest talent wise with the best NHLers this year all being Russian. Top point scorer, top goal scorer, 2nd best goal and point scorer, 2 best goalies, 3 OTHER top 20 players in Kuznetsov, Radulov and Tarasenko. Plus 5 of their top 6 on D playing in the NHL and unable to participate. Still winning without all those players is something to be proud of.

lol how did Russia get hit the hardest talent wise? Literally every Canadian Player who would have made the olympic team couldn't go to the olympics. Think about it like this, russia lost their best players but some of those guys on that OAR team would have still made the olympic team, russia brough 9 KHLers to the previous two olympic tournaments so Russia basically lost their 14 or 15 best players. Canada on the other hand lost their best 424 players (All canadian players in the NHL, if I could find how many canadians were in the AHL I would add them in too lol).

As for russia wanting best on best, I don't see how either of us could prove or disprove that but Russia would be crazy to want best on best since as a hockey power they are basically in 3-5th place now.

 

[Nervousbreakdown]

This is like the “smartest idiot” hyperbole.

Being the best crippled team amongst other crippled teams still makes you a crippled team and isn’t much of an accomplishment.

Winning this tournament was basically winning the most handsom man award in a burn unit.

 

[Revelation]

lol how did Russia get hit the hardest talent wise? Literally every Canadian Player who would have made the olympic team couldn't go to the olympics. Think about it like this, russia lost their best players but some of those guys on that OAR team would have still made the olympic team, russia brough 9 KHLers to the previous two olympic tournaments so Russia basically lost their 14 or 15 best players. Canada on the other hand lost their best 424 players (All canadian players in the NHL, if I could find how many canadians were in the AHL I would add them in too lol).

As for russia wanting best on best, I don't see how either of us could prove or disprove that but Russia would be crazy to want best on best since as a hockey power they are basically in 3-5th place now.

You don't get 424 players, only 23

Kucherov best forward in the NHL
Malkin 2nd best forward in the NHL
Ovechkin best scorer in the NHL
Vasilevsky best goalie in the NHL replaces AHL caliber Koshechkin

Panarin/Kuznetsov/Radulov/Tarasenko could all be 2nd/3rd liners on team Canada talent wise.

Provorov/Orlov/Zaitsev/Sergachev/Zadorov all easily better than any D on team Russia other than Voynov

Russians were vocal throughout the last few years about wanting NHL players at the Olympics

 

[eviohh26]

Winning this tournament was basically winning the most handsom man award in a burn unit.

Is everyone burnt tho? i mean. that would be hard to win. I'd nick name my self charcoal face.

 

[Dirty Dog]

And for those that say: "But NHLers?!", said NHLers simply had to retire, play for the Olympics, win, then come back and sign a new contract. The means were there for everyone, but lack of imagination/willingness to exploit systems did them in.

Well that's not true

 

[LiveeviL]

Olympic gold is an Olympic gold, there is no way around it. Suck it up all haters. Bettman traded some few NHL-games for you to watch in exchange for gutting especially Canada's, USA's, and Sweden's Olympic teams. That's the way it is. USSR and the USA boycotted Olympics in the past, no excuses for the medals gained there. Olympic gold is an Olympic gold, there is no way around it

 

[Masch78]

This is quite logical. Hockey is very big in Russia and Putin is a huge hockey fan. They had the mission gold for a few olympics now and especially for their home olympics. Now they have it. I understand why it's huge.

 

[Nervousbreakdown]

You don't get 424 players, only 23

Kucherov best forward in the NHL
Malkin 2nd best forward in the NHL
Ovechkin best scorer in the NHL
Vasilevsky best goalie in the NHL replaces AHL caliber Koshechkin

Panarin/Kuznetsov/Radulov/Tarasenko could all be 2nd/3rd liners on team Canada talent wise.

Provorov/Orlov/Zaitsev/Sergachev/Zadorov all easily better than any D on team Russia other than Voynov

Russians were vocal throughout the last few years about wanting NHL players at the Olympics

Yeah Canada doesnt get 424 players but pretty much every one of those 424 players would be an upgrade on the ones that played for team Canada. Russia still probably would have taken 7-9 of the players that were on that roster. Besides Yeah Russia has the top 2 point scorers in the league this season, and the goalie with the most wins but Canada would still have a better overall forward group and a massively better blue line and plenty of really good choices in net.

If canada brings
Marchand Crosby Bergeron
Hall Mcdavid Scheifele
Stamkos Tavares Mckinnon
Benn Toews Seguin
Giroux Couturier

Keith Doughty
Vlassic Pietrangelo
Hamilton Subban
Reilly Paryko

Holtby
Smith
Murray

What Team can russia put together that is better than that?

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

I like that the clickbait title of the article isn't even what Datsyuk said. He said "at this time, it is more important." And for Datsyuk, of course it is, given the fact that he's no longer in the NHL competing for a Stanley Cup.

And beating the worst most national teams had to offer and not having gone through the best Canadian, Swedish, Finnish, American, Czech, etc., athletes makes the victory seem lesser. Of course, I don't want to take away what the nation of OAR accomplished, but they just won a World Championship that took place in February.

 

[Hal 9000]

I can't believe this surprises some of you. I know Pavel Bure said the same thing and Ovechkin likely feels the same way too. All the great Russian players weren't winning the stanley Cup, they were Olympic heroes. I remember Bure saying he didn't know what the Stanley Cup was.

 

[Nervousbreakdown]

they just won a World Championship that took place in February.

Even the WC gets NHLers, usually a bunch of young and exciting ones too. Honestly I hate the olympics, its 2-3 weeks of all the TV shows I enjoy being off the air so they can broadcast figure skating. The only thing that made it palatable was that there would be a best on best hockey tournament for me to get wrapped up in, this time there wasn't even that.

 

[eviohh26]

Olympic gold is an Olympic gold, there is no way around it. Suck it up all haters. Bettman traded some few NHL-games for you to watch in exchange for gutting especially Canada's, USA's, and Sweden's Olympic teams. That's the way it is. USSR and the USA boycotted Olympics in the past, no excuses for the medals gained there. Olympic gold is an Olympic gold, there is no way around it

So what you are saying Putin hacked Bettman? Is Bettman a Russian bot? Did Trump give Russia the gold?

 

[FinPanda]

Olympic gold would have made our country crazy as most Finns don't care who plays for Finland. So I totally understand why Datsyuk appreciates it more than anything.

 

[GermanNuck]

If Canada had won they'd be boasting about their incredible depth for ages.

They didn't, and now they are all like "I don't want to tell anyone how to feel, but I'm totally going to tell anyone how to feel. This tournament is meaningless."

If you don't care about this Olympics fine, but let the other fans celebrate.